Handsome Jack - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (2018)

Playing a lean, hard-grooving fusion of blues, R&B, and garage rock they call "boogie soul," Handsome Jack are a four-piece band from Lockport, New York, a city not far from Buffalo. Handsome Jack were formed in 2004 by guitarist and singer Jamison Passuite, Joey Verdonselli on bass, Phil Allport on guitar and keyboards, and Steve Sandman on drums. While the founding members were still teenagers when they began playing out, they'd already developed a strong taste for classic rock, boogie, and blues, and by 2008 Handsome Jack had recorded their first self-released album, Heatseeker, and hit the road on their first cross-country tour. In 2009, Sandman left the group and Chad Salmeri took over behind the drums; he made his recorded debut with the band on the EP Prologue, and in 2011 the band released its second full-length album, Super Moon. More touring followed, including dates where the band shared stages with the likes of Blue Cheer, the Sheepdogs, Gov't Mule, J. Geils, and the Hold Steady. In 2014, the band struck a deal with with Alive Naturalsound Records, and went into the studio with Zach Gabbard of Buffalo Killers and Mike Montgomery as producers. Handsome Jack's third full-length album, Do What Comes Naturally, was released in the fall of 2014. ~ Mark Deming